In Defence Of Those Blues Keepers

Having conceded a worrying nine goals in just five pre-season friendlies there is cause for concern – especially in the goalkeeping department.

There are however mitigating circumstances for what we have regarded under the McCarthy regime to be one of our strengths but we are leaking goals at an average of almost two a game.

Mick the Man has constantly changed his back-line and keepers and often defenders get, at best, half a game to impress.

Add to that the wholesale changes that he makes in midfield and we can quickly see that the continuity that has been a hallmark of his Championship sides is not apparent at the moment. In the game in Germany for example the whole team was changed at half time as our manager attempted to discover the strength of our squad.

The defeat last night to local rivals Colchester was the second one so far in pre-season and once again the blues conceded important goals late in the game, as they did against Fortuna Dusseldorf in the other friendly defeat.

At the Weston Homes Community Stadium yesterday evening, it was the Tractor Boys undoing again and having taken the lead twice through Kevin Bru before the break and a penalty converted by David McGoldrick midway through the second half, we capitulated under late pressure from our hosts once more, to fall to an embarrassing 3-2 defeat.

Mick McCarthy said afterwards that he was a little disappointed by our performance and this was especially apparent in the last fifteen minutes, when most of the damage was done.

The goalkeeping issue remains a major talking point among fans and I agree with most of them who think we have two adequate second choice keepers but not a first choice one!

Of the two though, Bartosz Bialkowski is the better in my view but he still lacks the authority and speed of thought of a top notch keeper and there is always seemingly at least one mistake in him.

In some ways he reminds me of Craig Forrest and perhaps if he was behind the sticks in the Premier just now, we could expect another 9-0 thumping from one of the big boys!

I think the defence needs some serious re-enforcement’s and I am not just referring to the number one shirt. But goalkeepers being goalkeepers means that they both demand the no.1 jersey yet if I am brutally honest, neither command it and this perhaps is where the problems lies?

Since the departure of Tyrone Mings we have not yet answered the left back conundrum either. Jonathan Parr, if he remains fit, might make the position his own but we are lacking experienced defensive cover in an important area of the field.

Mick McCarthy has admitted that although he does have money to spend he has been frustrated by clubs wanting to get their hands on a big chunk of the transfer booty from the Mings sale.

Whether some of that money will go towards recruiting a new keeper is anybody’s guess but one thing is certain and that is that both of them will have to improve their game beyond all recognition for them not to eventually become our number two and three.

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich